Diamonds set sights on a silver Sunday

NEWCASTLE BTS Diamonds should be able to get their hands on their first piece of silverware of the season tomorrow at Byker (6.30) when they take an eightpoint lead over Berwick Bandits into the second leg of the Tyne Tweed Trophy.

The annually-contested pot will simply come out of the Newcastle trophy cabinet, where it has resided for the past two years, and be presented to either Diamonds’ skipper Ludvig Lindgren or Bandits’captain Kevin Doolan at the end of the 15-race meeting.

The Diamonds won the first leg 49-41 at Shielfield Park last month.

Newcastle’s search for a new rider to replace Lewis Rose has proved unsuccessful to date, while Stuart Robson is still sidelined with a nasty hand injury.

That means American ace Gino Manzares, who notched 10 (paid 11) in a thrilling performance against the Diamonds in their 50-40 defeat at Scunthorpe a week ago, comes in as a guest for Rose.

The 24-year-old Californian also races for the Diamonds tonight as they travel to Championship table-toppers Peterborough on league business with only four of their regulars.

In addition to the absences of Rose and Robson, for whom Redcar’s Danish all-action man Jonas B Andersen (pictured) comes in as a guest for the night, the Diamonds are also without high-scoring Finn Tero Aarnio, who is in Italy competing in a Grand Prix qualifying round.

Newcastle team manager George English said: “Peterborough is a track where we have had a decent record in recent years and we have not been beaten on our last three visits.

“We have two lively guests in Gino and Jonas who love to be in the thick of the action, and it is a shame about a clash of dates which mean Tero misses that one.

“Tero will be back for the Berwick match when we hope to retain our grip on the Tyne Tweed Trophy for another year, though I am expecting the Bandits to put up a heck of a fight.”